Shimmering, golden blood splattered across the hills as Kenon bore the brunt of his son’s vicious attack. The Voidborn may have spent millennia preparing for such a ferocious attack, but now he was confronted with the real thing, Kenon was genuinely beginning to feel twinges of panic and fear. Arkadin had not slowed down in the slightest and seemed to be enjoying the conflict the longer it sent on.
What bothered Kenon more though was just how easily Arkadin could have finished the battle. The Thantophor had power over death itself. He could have ended Kenon in an instant. He could have ended the universe in a few measly hours. But there was fury and hunger in Arkadin’s eyes. He wanted to savor the death and destruction. He was almost… happy…
“You going to give up yet?” Arkadin taunted as he shook blood off his hideous, tattered claws. “Or are you having fun? Because I tell you what, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time!”
“I won’t give up, Arkadin. You know better than this. You are better than this…” Kenon picked himself up and dusted himself down. Times like these, Kenon was glad to be a Voidborn, unkillable by most normal means. Arkadin though was really beginning to push him.
“I’m not though!” Arkadin’s glee turned into hateful growls as he clawed at Kenon. “According to you all, I’m nothing more than a monster! A feral beast to be controlled or destroyed! That is how you have all treated me over the years, and now you act all surprised when I act how you have treated me!”
Kenon only just managed to escape Arkadin’s attack, putting some space between him and the Thantophor. “You were always supposed to be better…”
“You never treated me that way. My pain, my anger, it is on all of you. You all did this to me!”
Arkadin leaped forward, slashing Kenon with his claws, before twisting round and grabbing the Voidborn by the arms. He didn’t even hesitate as he sank his teeth into Kenon’s neck. Kenon threw himself downwards, throwing Arkadin over his back, then summoned his golden staff. The Voidborn flicked a small button on the staff’s side, which caused a large, silver blade to extend from the middle of it.
“You leave me no choice, son…”
The Thantophor growled, waiting for Kenon to approach. The Voidborn charged, only for Arkadin to trip him up and steal the staff from Kenon’s hands.
“WAIT!”
A small voice echoed below the two gods. Arkadin looked down, wondering who it was. Kenon saw an opportunity to strike and attempted to take it, but before he could attack, Arkadin took Kenon’s spear and stabbed it through his stomach, pinning the Voidborn to the ground.
“I’ll finish with you later…” Arkadin hissed, before turning his attention to the voice. He began to shrink himself down to better confront this interruption. “Elkay, what are you doing here?”
Elkay looked almost as bad as Arkadin did. He was holding a makeshift gun-staff. Not far behind him were a Banikan, a Vahrga and a young Vohra.
“You saw me. I was tortured by the Allbirther the same way you were. I am thankful to have escaped with my life, saved by the Panelix.”
“She saved you?” Arkadin blinked.
“Well…” Elkay paused. “She intended to save my new friend Levik over there, but I just happened to be nearby. The four of us worked together to, um, do something. We could have left but I believed I could talk to you.”
“Stop…” Arkadin wiped the blood from his face. “Please, just don’t…”
Elkay blinked. “You do not want to talk?”
“No. I’ve had enough. I know you all mean well, but this universe is broken. Tainted.”
“But…” Elkay sighed, trying to think fast and buy some time. “But I like this universe. So do a lot of other mortals.”
The conversation was interrupted by a swooping Whenvern, who attempted to grab Arkadin. Arkadin though simply tore at Kairos’s legs, sending the Whevern flying off in agony.
“The mortals are all fine,” Arkadin explained. “It’s us deities that are the problem. Or rather, those deities. They made me like this. The only way out is to burn it all and start over.”
“What about us though?” Levik shouted as he rushed to Elkay’s side. “You’re telling me that we risked our stupidly short existences to free you from the Allbirther, only for you to destroy everything?”
Arkadin nodded, then turned away. Elkay and Levik weren’t sure how to respond to that. Behind them, a ship landed, and out of it spewed more people Arkadin recognised.
“Arkadin, what can I do for you, to make you change your mind?” Elkay asked, reaching forward and grabbing the Thantophor by the shoulder. “None of us here want to die. Not yet. What can we do for you?”
“Nothing.”
“Really?” Elkay tutted. “I could give you so much… Even… even that. You know what I mean.”
The Thantophor shook off Elkay, hissing as he did so. “I am telling you now, Elkay. There is nothing you can offer me. Leave now and enjoy your last few weeks of existence. Please.”
Elkay remained where he was. He was swiftly joined by both the Dessaron and the Army of Four, as well as his new friends Levik, Talok and Ct’Era.
“Arkay,” Retvik stood proud, holding his familiar gunstaff. “You are in pain. Let us help and comfort you. As we have done so in the past.”
Arkadin growled. “None of you understand! The gods needs to be destroyed! Otherwise all they will do is torture both me and the mortal plane for as long as this universe exists! Let me kill them and I promise you, your last moments will be pain-free.”
The mortals all looked at each other, then drew their weapons.
“Please don’t make me hurt you…” Arkadin whined. “I really don’t want to hurt you…”
“Too late!” Tenuk shouted. “You already have hurt us!”
“You can’t stop me.”
“We know,” Elkay sighed as he activated his gunstaff. “But we can try.”